ESPN Gameday To Be In Atlanta

Special To BamaMag.com

08/10/2009

For a second consecutive season, ESPN's College GameDay will begin the college football season on location in Atlanta Sept. 5 at the annual Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The show will originate from Centennial Olympic Park beginning at 10 a.m. EDT.

Recognized by most as the best game of the opening weekend, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will match projected top-10 teams Alabama and Virginia Tech in the Georgia Dome in prime time at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised by ABC.

"When we talk about the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game being the ‘Daytona 500 of College Football,' this is what we're talking about," said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. "We're starting the season with the best opening weekend match-up in the last six years and to have ESPN's College GameDay choose to come back for a second straight year really says a lot about the quality of this game."

GameDay will get the day started with the country's most popular live college football show. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will break down all the match-ups of the first Saturday of the season and set the stage for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game that evening.

"The quality of this match-up is what sets the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game apart," said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. "With top-ranked teams, elite conferences and a great host venue, you have all the elements for the country's premier season-opening event. We're proud to be a part of kicking off the season n Atlanta again this year."

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game has quickly established itself as the leading season-opening game of the college football season by creating a BCS-style event weekend around the game.

Fans will also experience a Fan Night at the Georgia Aquarium Friday night, a Kickoff Cookoff tailgating competition following GameDay on Saturday, team-specific tailgate parties for both Alabama and Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon and a pre-game FanZone presented by Coca-Cola Zero fan experience leading up to the game.

"We've really tried to bring in all the great aspects of college football and create an entire weekend celebration of the sport," Stokan said. "And when it's all over, one of these great teams is leaving Atlanta with a huge win to start their season."

Last season, then No. 24 Alabama defeated No. 9 Clemson 34-10 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game using the game to springboard them to an undefeated regular season, a No. 1 national ranking and an eventual BCS Bowl berth.

The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game was created by the Chick-fil-A Bowl, in partnership with ESPN. The game matches two top teams in the best neutral-site game of the first Saturday of every season.

For more information on the day's schedule including maps and directions, visit Chick-fil-AKickoffGame.com.